Why Preachers Quit

Researching hundreds of churches, we discovered some scary stuff about pastors:

Many have quit out of frustration.

Thousands are mentally frustrated by their declining congregations. It’s hard to live the life of a loser.

One third are counting the days toward retirement, fifteen years away!

Seminary enrollment is declining, almost everywhere.

There is an issue behind the issues that few have ever considered. To understand, you have to backtrack and look at the Christian movement in America (and, you can add every other place where Christianity has previously dominated the landscape for about 100 years).

Christianity grows and becomes the dominant belief system.

Then, subconsciously, Christians make the huge error that they live in a “Christian country.”

They may put “In God we Trust” on their money.

They may sing “God save the Queen.”

They may dominate the landscape with big buildings – “monuments to the faith,” which ultimately become tourist destinations rather than places of worship.

They declare the “mission field is not here, it’s over there somewhere.” They, then quit doing mission on their own turf.

Seminaries shift their agenda of training church leaders from being outreach missionaries and trainers of missionaries to “managers of Christians.”

Pastors have little or no training on how to reach non-Christians.

Pastors, therefore, don’t know how to equip people in their churches to reach non-Christians.

Churches begin to fail, decline, and die.

Pastors are frustrated and lose enthusiasm for their work. It’s hard to spend decades on a losing team and remain excited!

Is this an over-simplification? Absolutely! Is it accurate? Yes it is!

Is it universal with all pastors? No, but close! Can it be reversed? Yes!

Is it complicated? Yes, because the well-meaning, but out of date accreditation system has the seminaries handcuffed!